Updated on October 7, 2016 at 1:52 PMPosted on October 7, 2016 at 10:28 AM

humason via treeger at ed board meeting.JPG

Westfield Republican Don Humason, the state senator for the 2nd Hampden & Hampshire District, cast a wide net during an interview with The Republican's editorial board on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016, pledging support for trade schools and manufacturing in his district, standing firm against legalizing marijuana for recreational use, and touting his perfect voting record in the Massachusetts Senate.
(Don Treeger / The Republican)

SPRINGFIELD -- Westfield Republican Don Humason, the state senator for the 2nd Hampden & Hampshire District, cast a wide net during an interview with The Republican's editorial board Thursday, pledging support for trade schools and manufacturing in his district, standing firm against legalizing marijuana for recreational use, and touting his perfect voting record in the Massachusetts Senate.

Humason, a senator since 2013 and a state representative for a decade before that, is facing a challenge from Southampton Democrat J.D. Parker-O'Grady, a political neophyte and law-school student who is making his first run for public office. A televised debate between the two is scheduled to air tonight at 7:30 on WGBY, the Springfield public television station.

On the issue of money matters, "the economy is not doing as well as we would like," Humason said, adding that the commonwealth is facing a potential $400 million budget shortfall if the current trajectory continues. "The economy is a priority, and it always should be," he said.

According to Humason, Gov. Charlie Baker will likely have to consider "9c" cuts -- unilateral, emergency budget cuts through the executive branch -- to save money. Baker enacted 9c cuts early in his tenure, and it may be time for another round. "It looks like it's going to happen again," Humason said.

Asked how these cuts might impact Western Massachusetts, the senator replied: "I think (Baker) is just going to try to eat it in the executive agencies."

Other options might include a hiring freeze and early retirement incentives for state workers, Humason said. "Hiring freezes definitely have to be on the table," he said.

Other economic indicators have been positive, however. Massachusetts corporations are doing well and the state has the lowest unemployment rate in over a dozen years. But the stock market has been "iffy," Humason said. Massachusetts, which is home to many financial service organizations, has been hit by the market's volatility.

Humason said he will continue to support trade schools and local manufacturing in his district, particularly in Westfield, Holyoke and Agawam. "These towns have a lot of precision machine shops," he said, citing ties to the local aviation industry at Barnes and Westover airports. Local trade schools need to continue training students to fill these jobs, Humason said.

On the issue of legalizing, regulating and taxing marijuana in Massachusetts -- Question 4 on the Nov. 8 state election ballot -- Humason thinks it is a bad idea, not to mention hypocritical. As the commonwealth wages war on heroin and other opioids, legalizing marijuana sends the wrong message about the state's commitment to fighting addiction and drug abuse, according to the senator.

"The pot from today is much more potent than the pot from yesterday," said Humason, noting that he was a beer guy in his younger days. It is hypocritical for us to say don't do drugs, "but pot's OK," Humason said. "We still have a huge problem in Massachusetts with opioid addiction."

With the legalization of medical marijuana and decriminalizing possession of small quantities of the drug already on the books in Massachusetts, Humason believes passage of Question 4 will open up a whole new can of worms for those responsible for enforcing and regulating marijuana.

"This, I think, is going to be even more of a nightmare," Humason said.

A recent junket by Massachusetts senators to Colorado, where the drug is legal, prompted even pro-marijuana lawmakers to rethink their positions, according to Humason. "Every Senate member who left (Massachusetts) in favor of legalization came back scared to death," he said. "There are more pot shops in Colorado than McDonald's."

Legislators "are always resistant to tinkering with a question that the voters have passed," Humason said. But if Question 4 does pass, "I think the fear is ... we're going to have to do something about it," he said.

On the issue of gun control, Humason does not support Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey's expanded enforcement of the state's ban on assault weapons. He was among three Republican lawmakers who filed separate bills that would have stripped Healey of that regulatory power, but none of the bills were taken up before the end of the formal legislative session on July 31.

On July 20, Healey announced that she would use her powers under existing gun laws to prohibit the sale of "copycat" assault-style weapons, prompting instant pushback and legal action from gun-rights groups claiming she overstepped her bounds.

Healey was looking to be a "hero" to her Democratic and liberal supporters, Humason said. "It offended, I think, a lot of law-abiding gun owners," he said, adding that it was clearly a political play at the expense of the state's legal gun owners.

Critics say Healey's crackdown law will not make a dent in preventing criminals from getting guns illegally. "Criminals don't care," Humason said. "They'll get a gun in a back alley in Springfield."

Although Massachusetts already bans the sale of assault weapons and copies or duplicates of assault weapons, some gun manufacturers make weapons that are very similar to assault weapons, but with minor alterations to ensure they are "state compliant," Healey has said.

Humason, meanwhile, has enjoyed a winning streak throughout his political career. In 2013, he won 52.6 percent of the vote in a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by fellow Republican Mike Knapik, who resigned to take a job at Westfield State University. Humason went on to win re-election to a full two-year term in November 2014, receiving 54.3 percent of the vote.

Prior to joining the Senate, Humason was a member of the state House of Representatives from 2003 to 2013. He is currently the Senate Minority Whip and has a perfect voting record.